Learning Me

Chapter Nine

She couldn't believe she'd been right. How could they have kept the truth from her for so long? How could they have outright lied to her every day for nearly eighteen years? She ran as far as she could from the house, finally finding a secluded place to hide for a bit to think.

They aren't my real family.

The words chilled her and made her question almost everything she'd ever known. Who were her real parents, and why did they feel like they had to give her away? What things might she start being able to do? She shivered as she considered the possibilities. What if she ended up having something strange happen right in the middle of class or something? The thought brought a fresh anger that made her suppress a scream. She should've been told so she could be prepared.

The sun slowly dimmed in the horizon, bringing a golden tinge to her surroundings. The old parking garage she'd hidden in had been empty for years, and she reveled in the solitude as she walked across the space, randomly kicking at pebbles that littered the ground. Courtney supposed she should get home before anyone started to worry. She checked her phone, sighing as she noticed the missed calls waiting for her. Sam was responsible for a couple of them, but the bulk of the calls were from her parents. She imagined they must be losing their minds with worry, but a small part of her didn't care. She sent a quick text to Sam to say she was okay and shut the phone off again.

Courtney wasn't sure she could forgive their deception, not with all the potential consequences that could've arisen. Still, she supposed purposefully making them worry wouldn't do much good. Besides, now that she had gotten the chance to cool down she wanted to learn more. She just hoped they would tell her.

Reluctantly, Courtney ambled out of the parking garage and down the street. A half-hour later, she was outside her house mentally preparing herself for what else she might learn about her real family and what they did.

Her parents were waiting for her in the living room. They looked like they hadn't moved since she stormed out, but Sam was nowhere to be seen. She assumed he must've gone out looking for her. "Hi," Courtney said.

"Courtney, thank God you're back. We were starting to wonder what had happened to you." Her mother rushed over, reaching out for a hug.

Courtney stepped back, holding her arms up. "Please don't do that right now. My head is going in a hundred different places, and most of it is how angry I am. I need some time to deal with all this, but I think some more answers would help."

"I understand you're angry, but we did exactly what we were asked because we thought it was best for you. You really don't know what kinds of things your parents dealt with and how scared they were for you," her mother responded. "I hope you'll be able to understand that."

"I'll try, I promise. Why were they so scared? Why did they have to give me away?"

"It's a long story," her father responded, "and it's been a long day. Why don't we all take the night to sleep on this and we'll talk tomorrow?"

"You lie to me all this time, tell me crazy things about my real family, and now you want to try and stall telling me more?"

"This isn't trying to stall, Courtney," her father replied in a harsh tone. "This really is a long story and, frankly, we weren't planning on having this conversation today. I'm not even sure what started you on this search to begin with."

"I just wondered if I could find out why you guys hate me acting so much. Every time I do a play, you can't drag me home fast enough and you act like you'd rather not even be there. It hurts, you know? All my friends' parents are happy to be there. Now, I'm starting to understand why you're so dead-set against that movie at least. After I found that picture, it made me think of all those other things and I wanted to know."